Tag Archives: Wynn Varble

Joey + Rory brought a couple of friends up the black carpet with them at Wednesday's CMA Awards: Rory Feek’s co-writers on the Easton Corbin hit “A Little More Country Than That,” Wynn Varble and Don Poythress. (The song was nominated for single and song of the year.)

Joey + Rory said they didn’t expect to win duo of the year (and Sugarland did end up taking that prize), but they went into the awards show excited about the possibility of the songwriters taking home a trophy in the song of the year category. (Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin ended up scoring the song trophy for Miranda Lambert's "The House That Built Me.")

“I came to town to write songs,” Feek said. “That’s all I did until recently. And song of the year is the category I admire the most. For us to be nominated in that category is really great.”

“It’s really weird to stand here and think back to that day five years ago when we wrote the song,” said Poythress. “Now I’m standing here on this carpet celebrating the song.”

Feek said before the awards show Wednesday that win or lose, they felt like they had already “arrived.”

“We’re already here,” Feek said. “We’re a part of this and we are here with our friends.”

"People say breaking into the business is hard," Hall said at the event, which was sponsored by Country Aircheck and BMI. "You ought to try to break out of it sometime."

In front of an audience that also included singer-songwriter Jack Ingram, Hall talked about the bluegrass songwriting he's doing with wife Dixie Hall and about the acoustic music studio they operate at their Fox Hollow ranch. He performed self-penned hit songs "Homecoming," "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died" and "I Love," and he cautioned against putting down newer music simply because of its newness.

"Art moves this way," he said, pointing forward. "If you're doing it the way they used to do it, that's copying. It's already been done. . . . Do it your way, and have some fun."

Sanders, a Grammy-winning co-writer of Lee Ann Womack’s breakout hit “I Hope You Dance” a decade ago, said he wasn’t getting caught up in the sense of finality that could come with being inducted into a hall of fame.

“I feel maybe three-quarters of the way through (my career),” Sanders said, laughing. “I hope to have two or three more hits before I finish. I’m trying to line things up. It’s a constant (process of) trying to stay young and write songs they’ll play on the radio.”Continue reading →

The thought of riding a bull unnerves Justin McBride less than playing the 'Grand Ole Opry' (photo: Sanford Myers/The Tennessean).

Climbing on the back of an angry, snorting 1,900-pound bull never worried Justin McBride. This walking-on-a-stage thing scares him a little, though.

Keep in mind, the stage in question is the one at the Grand Ole Opry House, and while the
family of Opry members is often quite friendly and welcoming to newcomers, the stage itself can be foreboding. Fri., Aug. 14, McBride — a two-time Professional Bullriders Inc. champion and the top money-earner in the sport’s history — will sing on the nation’s most famous radio show. And thinking about it for too long gives him the willies.

“I’ve done stuff that was pretty dangerous and risky all my life, and in front of people,” said McBride, who is seeking entry into the mainstream country world after a 10-year bull riding career that found him breaking records for career earnings (more than $5 million), single-season event wins (eight), career event wins (32) and most money won in a single season ($1.8 million).

“I was comfortable riding bulls, and I knew when I got on the bull that I was the best in the world. I’ve always loved country music, but every day I’m doing music it’s a learning experience. And to get to do it on the Grand Ole Opry, that’s something that’s such an honor, and it’s kind of scary.”Continue reading →